Life's Journey to the working class...

I have grown to believe strongly that there is always a way of working things out, that the end of one road is always a start of another.

I remember my English teacher in high school, telling me how amazing those short stories I wrote were and how she thinks I really should study English literature in collage. I smiled to her nice complement and said "Enshallah".
The year I was in High school, was the most financially troubled year that my family has ever been through, my father had broken up with his partner and sold his car, and was officially drowned in debt. I didn’t need him to tell me he couldn’t afford my education, I knew it very well, and I had a plan.
I always found it surprising how people criticize, deride anyone who does things in a different way. When family and friends asked, “so what’s your plan, which University you will be going to… have you made up your mind what to study..?”
And I answered… “I am not going to collage now... I joined a crafts center in a city out side Amman, and will be taking a one years Pottery course!”
I got raised eyebrows, and long lectures from uncles, aunts, and other family members and friends, on how important education is and how I will regret this decision and realize what a waste of time it was and then it will be too late!

I only asked myself one thing at that time, what other option do I have? And what does those “wise, caring…” friends and family have to offer me as an alternative…
“Nothing…” was the answer!
The year I spent in that craft center was amazing, I learned how to throw pots, how to burn, glaze and decorate pottery. Unlike most of my classmates, I wasn’t learning to get a job, I was there because I liked it since I was a kid. Because it’s something I have always wanted to do.
The center belongs to a Jordanian foundation that promises to provide students with Job opportunities after graduation. And since I was one of the top five students I was offered a Job in an artisan work shop in Amman.

I got the Job.
For 90 JDs a month, me and another two girls from the center, worked on a production line, for a continuous 10 hours, with a target production of 50 decorated pieces of pottery a day.
The workshop was nothing but a basement of a building that lacks any quality of a real work place. We were not offered anything but the salary that was NEVER paid on time, and was usually given to us -after we demanded it- in small payments of 10 and 20 JDs.
We still managed to have some fun, since it was just the three of us all the time in that basement we bought a small cassette player , listened to music and drank 3 in 1 Nescafe’ for warmth.
I remember going home with mud on my clothes, and dust in my hair and under my nails.
Eight months later, it wasn’t fun anymore and I decided that I have had enough, they gave us more work and higher production targets, and they always claimed that there isn’t enough money to pay us, the gallery that was in the next building was not somewhere we were allowed to be in and I came to know exactly why.
One vase that we made is usually sold for five or six times of my salary and those who brought them did not only buy ONE vase!

So I left…
and started my Job hunting journey. I worked in an antiques and crafts shop, in a car rental company, worked as a salesgirl for a clothes shop, and a cosmetics shop. Most of the Jobs I had didn’t pay well, and required long working hours, late shifts and even double shifts of more than 10 hours at times!
Along the way going to collage was my ultimate goal and that kept me going...
I managed to save some money and get myself enrolled in an Open University, which have an open self learning system that is designed for a fixable timing for working students.


From my personal office today, I write those lines on my personal computer and in an environment that is comfortable to bring about the creative thoughts in me at the same time of doing my day to day work. I can’t be more grateful for the Job I have now!
I know how blessed I am for having a Job that doesn’t require much physical effort, that is clean and safe.
I still have two years to graduate which at times is frustrating and seems like a really long time, But whenever I think that I made it this far, I know I Can make it till the end!



This post was insipired by the Observer who was too inspired by Batir .